Sweet like Chocolate
by Suffering Angel
Summary: Riku and Xion go the Valentine's Day Town. Will Riku be forced to explain the day's meaning, or will he be able to get away with a peace offering, instead?


**Title**: Sweet as Chocolate  
**Fandom**: Kingdom Hearts  
**Time-frame**: 358/2 Days, Riku and Xion's month of _eloping_~  
**Characters**: Xion and Riku.  
**Couples**: Rion, duh.  
**Warnings**: Tacky, pointless, and sappy to hell and back. As the saying goes, "What is this, I don't even-"  
**Summary**: Riku and Xion go the Valentine's Day Town. Will Riku be forced to explain the day's meaning, or will he be able to get away with a peace offering, instead?

* * *

It wasn't the first time in which they did this. Skipping from one world to another, constantly looking over their shoulders while trying not to get on each other's nerves. It wasn't that they weren't getting along, mind; but even the bestest of friends needed a break from one another sometimes, especially when under constant pressure and stress.  
When asked, the boy would smirk idly and say they were "on a break". The girl on her part failed to catch the true value of the joke but left it at that.  
They would then part ways.

Not much has changed since Xion left the Organization with Riku. She was still, essentially, a confused, lost little girl. She knew not what to do, where to go, or what was to happen tomorrow. But at least she was moving, trying, she concluded to herself as she made her way through the city's streets.  
Crowds were good; crowds meant the Organization couldn't make too many rash, hasty moves, and even less flashy ones. Crowds meant safety – especially such unique ones as the one Xion was currently walking through. Everything was decorated, not a spot left untouched. Everywhere she looked was filled with red, pink, and sparkles. What caught the girl's attention in particular was the abundant amount of Hearts plastered everywhere, decorating everything, by far overshadowing any other shape or form around.  
"Is this some festival for Hearts?" She wondered idly while tilting her head at a pink teddy bear.  
"...I'll ask Riku later."  
At least she knew she wasn't alone about being lost. The situation as a whole seemed to fail to connect with anything she received from Sora, sans a deep sense of discomfort.

When she finally reached the rendezvous point, Riku was already waiting for her. He seemed distracted and disturbed, and an odd shade of red tainted his cheeks. In his hands was a pink Heart, not unlike the ones Xion saw all over town.  
She tilted her head curiously at it.

"It's one of those weird Hearts!" She exclaimed, making the boy look up at her. She could've sworn his cheeks grew redder as his discomfort grew deeper.

"Welcome back."

Smiling lightly, Xion sat down next to Riku and reached to push a strand of hair behind her ear. "This is really a weird festival. What are they celebrating?"

There was a gulp. She was certain she heard a gulp. How peculiar.

"Beats me."

"Liar." Xion accused before the odd Heart was thrown at her. She yelped lightly but managed to catch the object. A blink was in order as she rattled the item, head bowed down so she could better hear the odd sound. It was almost as though tiny objects were shifting inside it.  
Black fabric twisted as Riku blinked behind his blindfold; the girl's face lost its color.

"Xi-"

"Are all Hearts like this?" She asked in a trembling voice, a look of mild distress on her face.  
He stared at her in disbelief for a moment before shaking his head at himself. Silly Riku; yes she was _that_ clueless.

"It's not a real Heart, Xion." He attempted as gently as he could. "None of the hearts here are."

"Oh." The girl cooed gently and rattled the heart again.  
"There's something inside...?" She observed and turned to Riku, but he only shrugged.

"Open it and see."

'Open', he said, Xion thought and inspected the item thoroughly. Upside down made thins clearer, the girl concluded and removed the ribbon holding together what ended up being a decorated box.

"...free samples." He uttered in reply to an unvoiced question. She knew there was more to it than that but let it be for the time being.  
Instead, Xion's attention shifted to the oddly shaped, brownish items that rested inside, each in its own paper container.

"What's this?" She asked as she picked a round piece up and examined it. It smelled sweet and left a sticky trail over her glove.

"Chocolate." He answered simply. "You never had any, right?"

She nodded. The Organization wasn't big on pleasure-foods, at least when it came to Roxas and her. And when finally the time came and she ate out – it was sea-salt ice-cream.  
Before that thought could properly escalate into a longing fit, she propped the sweet in her mouth and blinked.  
It was solid, but melted against her tongue and stuck to the roof of her mouth. It was thick, both in texture and flavor, and it took her a while before she managed to talk again.  
"It's sweet." Xion concluded and stared down at the remaining pieces with something not unlike disgruntledness.

"You sound disappointed." Riku offered idly, somewhat amused.  
Xion sighed in return.

"I'm not used to things being only sweet..." She explained and shifted a bit uneasily.

"Too much ice cream." Riku teased and looked away in time to miss her pouting at him.  
"Just try another one. They have different flavors."

Xion blinked in surprise at the concept. She picked another piece, this time a star-shaped one.  
"Really..." She hummed and took a tiny bite. Her eyes widened.  
"This _does_ taste different!" She exclaimed.

Riku leaned back, eyes closing behind the fabric. He fell silent, letting the girl enjoy the various flavors offered in every piece of chocolate. Some were sweeter, some less, but all offered a variety of tastes. Hazelnut, praline, coffee, and other exotics.  
Xion cared less for what they were called, relishing instead the odd adventurous thrill that came with not knowing what to expect.  
It was nothing like the ice-cream she was used to, where each time was pleasantly similar to the other. Each bite was predictable, a reminder of why she even bothered to begin with. A familiar, comfortable flavor, one she never got tired of. She could always enjoy it – the ice-cream, and the company she had while having it.

Not so the case with chocolate, she pondered as she took a moment to let the – caramel, was it? – slide down her throat. Every piece tasted differently, had a different texture, and some hid other things inside them, like pieces of nuts or marzipan. Some she liked better, some she liked less, but eventually, she decided, she hated none.  
The thrill slowly ebbed away as she recognized the patterns, the nuances in shape and hue that indicated what flavor she was to enjoy in every piece. In its stead, however, came the comfort that often came from familiarity. It made tasting each piece more enjoyable, and she could decide what she liked best about each flavor.  
When she finally swallowed, the after-taste lingered, leaving her wanting a bit more.  
Familiarity would do that, she concluded and turned to look at Riku.  
No doubt, with people, too...

"Hm?" Riku hummed after a moment in which he felt the girl's eyes on him. He turned to find her smiling before she turned to the box resting over her lap.

"...you like chocolate." He commented, seeing how the box was noticeably emptier than before.

"Apparently." Xion giggled and held the box up for Riku to help himself. "It's kind of weird, but tasty!"

"That so." He hummed as he picked whichever piece was the closest.  
"So which's your favorite?"

Xion pondered the question thoughtfully while digging through the box with her forefinger. A triumphant coo escaped her lips as she picked up one of the darker-hued, crescent-moon shaped pieces of chocolate.  
"This one." She declared, making Riku quirk a brow.

"Dark chocolate?" He asked, recognizing the scent. "That's your favorite?"  
He was rewarded with a nod, only to tilt his head a bit in response.  
"Isn't it bitter though?"

Xion rolled the piece in her mouth for a long moment before shrugging. "Well, sure it is, but..." She suckled on the remains in her mouth before smacking her lips.  
"I still like it." She declared and happily munched on the rest of the snack.

"Weird girl." Riku hummed in amusement.

"I don't want to hear it from _you_."

"Fair enough."

Riku stood up there and brushed the back of his coat.  
"You're almost done, right? We'll go when you're finished."

"You still haven't answered me, though." Xion chirped once the last piece was gone, and she reluctantly left the box behind. Had to travel light, after all...  
"What's this festival for?"

Riku pondered the possible answers for a long moment. He traveled with her for long enough to know her questions were something to beware, but for the life of him, he didn't know how to twist the truth around enough. He did know she'd demand her answer, though.  
Deflated, he shrugged.  
"Will you believe me if I said it was about '_Love_'?"

There was a long moment of silence at the end of which he found her with her lips pursed. She was no doubt trying to wrap her mind around the concept, trying to connect it to something familiar.  
No doubt, she failed – and Riku couldn't really blame her. He had a hard enough time with the holiday too.

"Disappointed?" He asked at last when Xion seemed completely lost.  
She shook her head, eventually unpursing her lips.

"Not... disappointed, but it sure is-"

Tacky; fake; forced; obnoxious; gross. Any number of options flashed through Riku's mind, but he somehow doubted Xion shared his... _experienced_ views.

"_Different_ from how I pictured it."

Different was fair, Riku concluded with a snicker.  
"And how _did_ you imagine it?" He teased, only to be shrugged at.

"Funner, I suppose."

He nodded. "So I hear."  
Riku turned away then. It felt as though they were done, and have already stalled for long enough. He gave her a moment to herself, thus missing it when she picked the discarded empty box up and hid it in her coat.

An empty box was light enough to travel with, right? And it would be such a shame to leave it behind, anyway... Free sample or not, assuming she ever even believed it –  
It was a festival celebrating _Love_. She couldn't leave it behind, now could she?  
If only to one day ask Riku why he even bothered.

"You're blushing."

"I don't want to hear that from a blind person."

"Fair enough."


End file.
